Lesson 2: First Amendment, Second Amendment and Selective Incorporation
Duration of Days: 2
Lesson Objective
Students will be able to:
Identify and explain key rights protected by the First Amendment (freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition) and the Second Amendment (right to bear arms).
Analyze landmark Supreme Court cases interpreting these amendments, including Tinker v. Des Moines, Engel v. Vitale, Schenck v. United States, District of Columbia v. Heller, and McDonald v. Chicago.
Explain the principles of judicial review and precedent and how the Supreme Court applies them to civil liberties cases.
Evaluate the balance between individual rights and government regulation, using textual evidence from cases.
Apply AP Government concepts and vocabulary to hypothetical scenarios or contemporary issues involving First and Second Amendment rights.
Demonstrate understanding through class discussion, case briefs, and assessments.
How have Supreme Court decisions interpreted the First and Second Amendments, and how do they balance individual rights with government regulation?
CG.Civ.3.b. Analyze how federal and state court systems are articulated and maintained by
constitutions and laws in the United States (e.g., District Courts, Circuit Courts, Appellate
Court, Supreme Court).
CG.Civ.5.a. Evaluate the relationship between law-making, enforcement, and interpretation in balancing
the rights of the individual with the well being of society (e.g., Bill of Rights, Supreme Court
cases).
DOK Level 3 – Strategic Thinking
Analyze the impact of Supreme Court decisions on contemporary civil liberties issues.
Apply case law to hypothetical scenarios involving speech, religion, or gun rights.
Compare and contrast different interpretations of the amendments across multiple cases.
N/A
Finished google doc and in class discussion
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d5QGkv2i1uouDJmcERdx7t8stzSqn6vsVcOG1BFlwU4/edit?tab=t.0